1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in xe2x80x9cWesternxe2x80x9d style saddles by allowing existing saddles to be converted to a European saddle panel style which will facilitate a method of modelling the underside of the saddle to fit a horse""s back by the traditional method of flocking with wool or substitute or by utilisation of disclosures made in Patent EP 0 764 607 A1 for the protection of the horse""s back.
Herein xe2x80x9ctreexe2x80x9d is a term use to describe the solid structure that once the webbing, foams, leather, etc are affixed, becomes the xe2x80x9cseatxe2x80x9d for the rider.
Herein xe2x80x9cWesternxe2x80x9d is a generic term for a type of saddle construction, which does not incorporate a xe2x80x9cflocked panelxe2x80x9d and that requires the use of saddlecloths or blankets to form a pad for protecting the horse""s back from the saddle""s tree, and is intended to include saddles of the xe2x80x9cSpanishxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cPortuguesexe2x80x9d Type.
Herein xe2x80x9cEuropean saddlexe2x80x9d is the term used to describe those saddles that have xe2x80x9cflocked panelsxe2x80x9d, which are affixed to the seat and that allow for adjustment of their shape.
Herein a xe2x80x9cflocked panelxe2x80x9d is a closed pocket, which is filled with material, normally natural or synthetic wool, foam or felt. This flocked panel forms the cushion or bearing surface between the horses back and the saddle""s tree. Because a flocked panel can be shaped by stuffing it with the flocking material to alter its"" contour it can be fitted to the horse""s shape.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Western saddles have a substantial tree made of wood, plastic or tightly bundled straw stitched into a fabric. Some may have metal reinforcement. The tree""s purpose is to form the foundations for the rider""s seat and a medium to spread the rider""s weight over the horse""s back. Typically the construction is two shaped bars that sit either side of the backbone of the horse. Arches connect these bars laterally together. The front arch forms the pommel or front of the seat the rear arch forms the cantle or back of the seat.
Skirts normally cover the bars of the tree. These skirts are usually made up of ornate leatherwork on their upper side and sheepskin or a synthetic equivalent on the horse""s side. The skirts are normally bigger than the bars extending over the shoulder in front and sometimes over the 18th rib of the horse and on to the lumber region at the back of the saddle. This is bad practice as the horse""s muscular and skeletal movements of the back are greatest at the shoulder and lumber regions. Pressure on these points very quickly causes restricted movement and/or excessive irritation by rubbing.
Because there is no padding of any substance between the horse""s back and the hard bars of the saddle it is essential that additional saddlecloths be used to pad the saddle. Saddlecloths are traditionally like blankets but with the advent of new foam materials some pads are all foam or foam based.
Saddlecloths have several significant disadvantages including:
1. Saddlecloths are not an integral part of the saddle construction so they can move under the saddle where they can crease up and cause major discomfort to the horse;
2. The saddlecloth has to bridge the horse""s spinal processes therefore placing direct pressure on those processes. This is not only uncomfortable for the horse but potentially very damaging;
3. Saddlecloths hold sweat and build up heat, the two thing that contribute to soreness and irritation;
4. The more saddlecloths used the further the saddle is from the horse""s back, this causes instability in the saddle; and
5. They decrease the sensitivity of the horse to the back and seat aides of the rider. The rider uses his weight and balance in the saddle to command the horse and these commands become unclear in an ill-fitting saddle.
Turning to the European saddle panel, it was designed to give a means of shaping the saddle to each individual horse to obtain a good fit whilst also not requiring the use of a saddlecloth. The European saddle has two panels on either side of the spine that fit between a point snug behind the scapula of the horse and the 18th vertebrae, and never extends further back than this point. It also has a gullet between the two panels typically about {fraction (21/2)} inches in width so that no pressure is applied to the spinal processes. In this way pressure is only placed on the horses back on those structures of the back capable of taking the pressure whilst not interfering with the most mobile and/or sensitive structures of the horse""s back.
Another advantage of the European method of fitting saddles is that the balance of the saddle front to back can be altered so that the rider is neither tilted forward or backward whilst in the saddle. This is achieved by the distribution of the flocking. However, in prior art EP 0 764 607 A1, this is achieved with air bags being inflated to differing levels. It has been proved that xc2xc inch up or down from the perfectly balanced rider, as measured by the height of the cantle from the horse""s back, will make that rider feel tipped forward or back.
Balance in a Western saddle is achieved by shimming i.e. saddlecloths that are placed under the saddle perhaps folded in half or by wedge shaped foam pieces. This practice is not accurate, sustainable or repeatable to any degree of reliability as the saddlecloths have a tendency to move.
The European saddle is adjusted by pushing flocking (usually wool or a synthetic material) into the pockets or panels on either side of the underside of the seat of the saddle, a job requiring the skills of the saddler. These panels, starting at the back of the saddle, run its length along the backbone and then turn downwards following the knee rolls of the saddle over the horse""s shoulders. The wadding is forced through holes in the upper surface of each panel hidden under the saddle""s seat, thereby forming a cushion for the saddle against the horses back.
There is however a disadvantage with the European method of saddle fitting in that the saddler needs to be very careful in ensuring consistent density of wadding in the panels to avoid uneven or hard areas, which would give rise to discomfort for the horse. Also, over the course of time, with riding, the wadding is prone to move and can become hard through compression and the absorption of the horse""s sweat. A saddle padded in this way will require re-flocking of the panels by the saddler. Alternatively, the use of the air bladder system as disclosed in prior art EP 0 764 607 A1 overcomes this disadvantage.
It is the aim of the present invention to provide a simple means of adapting Western saddles to a European method of fitting to the horse by the additional flocked panel herein known as a xe2x80x9cconversion panelxe2x80x9d. This conversion panel can be fixed to any western saddle therefore becoming part of it construction. This will give the saddler a means of shaping the conversion panel to fit the horse""s back profile whilst not changing the appearance of the saddle to the onlooker. Western saddles in general are more ornate than European saddles having a visual impact so it is vital not to detract from their appeal by modifying them from their traditional appearance.
In its broadest sense, the present invention provides allows for the modification of a Western Saddle to a European panel design by the use of two additional closed pockets affixable to the saddles tree via Velcro and/or screw fittings. This will allow the underside of the saddle to be molded by the traditional flocking methods to conform and fit the horse""s back profile assuring better stability for the rider and comfort for the horse. The present invention will also allow the use of air bladder system as disclosed in prior art EP 0 764 607 A1.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of modifying a saddle having first and second skirts, the method comprising securing a panel to an undersurface of each skirt; wherein each panel comprises a sheet of a padded material and a sheet of a flexationally resistive material, the sheets being generally shaped to match a shape of the skirt to which the panel will be secured, and wherein the sheets are bonded together generally around their edges to define a pocket therebetween; and wherein the pocket is filled with a resilient medium.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a saddle having first and second skirts, each skirt having affixed to an underside thereof a respective panel; wherein each panel comprises a sheet of a padded material and a sheet of a flexationally resistive material, the sheets being generally shaped to match a shape of the skirt to which the panel will be secured, and wherein the sheets are bonded together generally around their edges to define a pocket therebetween; and wherein the pocket is filled with a resilient medium.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides a panel adapted for mounting to an underside of a skirt of a saddle, the panel comprising a sheet of a padded material and a sheet of a flexationally resistive material, the sheets being generally shaped to match a shape of the skirt to which the panel will be secured, and wherein the sheets are bonded together generally around their edges to define a pocket therebetween; and wherein the pocket is filled with a resilient medium.
The resilient medium may comprise wool. Preferably, the resilient medium comprises at least one inflatable bladder. More preferably, it comprises two generally coplanar inflatable bladders arranged to provide an overlap between the two bladders.
Preferably, the padded material is natural or synthetic sheepskin or a foamed synthetic material.
Suitably, the flexationally resistive material is stiff leather.